News and Job Opportunities ADVANCE NOTICE - 2007 International Heritage Interpretation Conference in the Highlands of Scotland An t-Sradag Bheathail / The Vital Spark Daoine People : Aiteachan Places : Sgeulachdan Stories Interpret Scotland in association with the Association for Heritage Interpretation This conference is being developed as part of the programme of events and activities celebrating the 2007 Year of Highland Culture. It will include keynote presentations from a wide range of respected international champions and practitioners of interpretation as well as a programme of concurrent papers, poster sessions and site visits. Location - Aviemore, in the Cairngorms National Park Dates - 1st to 3rd October 2007 The key themes of the conference will be: The vital spark: interpretation as the driver for cultural regeneration Creativity and innovation: interpreting remote and fragile areas Voices in interpretation: languages, cultures and communities Authenticity: re-interpretation of traditional icons in the 21st century Planning is also under way for a range of pre- and post-conference tours, focusing on the best of Scotland's interpretation assets. A must-attend event for your diary if you are involved in planning or delivering interpretation. Watch for the conference website going live: www.thevitalspark2007.org.uk or the Interpret Scotland website for further information and links: www.interpretscotland.org.uk 2007 Interpret Britain and Ireland Awards AHI organises its annual Interpret Britain and Ireland Awards Scheme to reward and publicise excellence in interpretation. The awards and commendations recognise outstanding practice in providing interpretive facilities at, or about, natural and cultural heritage sites or topics throughout the UK and Ireland. The scheme, now supported by Countryside Council for Wales, Department of the Environment (NI), English Heritage, Office of Public Works (Ireland) and Scottish Natural Heritage, welcomes entries from any organisation or individual in the public, private or voluntary sectors involved in interpreting a site, topic, theme, collection or other feature of significance for the benefit of the general public. The 2007 Scheme will be announced in January 2007 The 2006 Scheme is now closed but to see details of how entries could be made, please look at the pdfs below in www.heritage-interpretation.org.uk Awards introduction Awards entry form What have we got and is it any good? A practical guide on how to survey and assess heritage interpretation This manual has been produced as a practical guide on how to produce an inventory of interpretation and assess its quality. It is based on a methodology developed by the Highland Interpretive Strategy Project. To download your copy,click here Scottish Interpretation Network News A review and discussion paper on the options for the future of the Scottish Interpretation Network has just been published. For more information visit:www.scotinterpnet.org.uk